Initiative gives start-ups a lifelineThe program, ‘Ibtikaar: Nurturing technology start-up companies’, started in July 2014. It is managed by MCIT with support provided by the World Bank. Abdul Mateen... Show More + Samsor, who is Ibtikaar’s Operations Manager, says that so far about $1.5 million have gone towards the implementation of the program.“We have provided work opportunities for start-up technology companies that show promise and have something to offer,” Mateen says. “We give them practical opportunities to put their plans into practice.”The program now works with eight different companies, operating across health, education, computer games and administrative projects. These companies partner with Ibtikaar for six to nine months, during which the entrepreneurs undergo intensive training to learn the skills to realize their visions and plans.Reza is grateful for the program on several levels. “Without Ibtikaar, I wouldn’t have this job,” he laughs. He believes that the program has opened a career path for him and his classmates that they otherwise may never have had access to.“Afghanistan doesn’t have any other opportunities to learn robotics,” he explains. “If this project didn’t exist, my friends and I would have to choose something outside of this profession—that is, of course, if we were lucky enough to find something else at all.”​While Reza and his colleagues have only been working on the project for a few months, he nonetheless stresses that they have worked hard and are close to realizing their project. They are nearing the practical stage of constructing the actual robot. The robot’s construction will take eight months to complete, at a total cost of $80,000.Next phase of ICT developmentIn recent years, technology and telecommunications programs—specifically education and training of Afghan citizens—have been priorities for the Government and its development partners. In April 2011, the World Bank financed MCIT’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector Development Project, of which Ibtikaar is a sub-component. The project builds on the success of earlier activates and catalyzes the next phase of ICT development in the country, focusing on new opportunities such as Internet development and seeking to ride the smart phone revolution. It helps mainstream the use of mobile applications to improve public service delivery and program management in strategic sectors in the government.The Project has also included capacity for government officials as a key objective. Officials and civil servants from across the Government have been trained on a range of topics including mobile governance, development of regulatory frameworks in the Internet age, and on improving the enabling environment for IT industry development. Over 150 Government officials at various levels have benefited from this training.The project also helps develop the local IT industry by expanding the pool of skilled and qualified IT professionals, and supporting the incubation of ICT companies in Afghanistan. Currently, about 1,500 Afghan citizens have received training, both in Afghanistan and overseas with support from this project. The Project will now begin next phase of ICT skills development, with a focus on addressing the specific needs of the private sector and close existing skills gaps. “The objective is to train young people and especially women and position them for high-wage employment in ICT-based companies in Afghanistan,” says His Excellency Aimal Marjan, Deputy Minister-IT of MCIT. “These young and talented Afghans will be the new face of the country to the world.” Show Less -

The education system was one of the
biggest casualties of the three decade old war in
Afghanistan. In 2000, when the American led International
Security Forces reached... Show More + Afghanistan, there were less than
one million children enrolled in school and virtually no
girls in the system. Today, there are over eight million
children in school of which 40 percent are girls. Even
before the Taliban, investment in the education system was
weak. During the rule of the King as well as the Communists
the number of schools providing modern education was
minuscule. By 1980 only 11 percent of the countrys
population beyond the age of 25 had any formal education. By
1996, only 22 percent of the eligible population of children
was studying in formal schools. At the end of the war in
2001, rebuilding the education sector was one of the first
priorities of the new government as well as the
international community. However, with no accurate and/or
reliable data, planning and financing of the sector proved
difficult. Data collection, collation and analysis except in
the most rudimentary forms were virtually non-existent. Most
of the reports were based on extrapolation of historic data.
Supported by the World Bank and the Afghanistan
Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), the Education Quality
Improvement Project (EQUIP) was launched in 2004. At USD 460
million, EQUIP II is today the largest education program in
the country. Increasing use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) in the education sector and strengthening
the Education Management Information System (EMIS) has been
a priority under EQUIP II. Indeed, the evolution of EMIS has
been one of the most important achievements of the project. Show Less -

Information and communication
technologies (ICTs) have developed rapidly over the last two
decades. The development of ICTs have allowed adults, as
well as children,... Show More + to enjoy unprecedented opportunities and
benefits in terms of socialization, education, and
entertainment. On the other hand, recent rapid advances in
ICTs simultaneously have allowed violence to be committed
by, with, and through the use of ICTs, including violence
against children. Accordingly, children using the Internet
and associated technologies become vulnerable to
ICT-facilitated child abuse and exploitation and such child
abuse and exploitation are often difficult to detect and
address. In response to a growing concern over the use of
ICTs to commit violence against children, an Asian regional
study on legislative responses for the protection of
children from violence through ICTs was conducted. This
regional study provides an overview of 17 targeted Asian
countries' legislative responses to online child abuse
and exploitation, with a particular focus on activities
related to child pornography (also known as "child
abuse images"), online grooming, and cyberbullying.
This regional study pays special attention to: 1) analyzing
legislative measures to address violence against children
committed by, with, and through the use of ICTs in alignment
with relevant international instruments; 2) presenting
examples of good practice in a legal enabling environment
for child online protection at a national level in
compliance with relevant international standards; and 3)
highlighting recommendations for strengthening the national
legal framework to handle ICT-facilitated child abuse and
exploitation amongst the 17 Asian countries analyzed. Show Less -

“Our intention is to help mainstream the construction of resource-efficient residential and commercial buildings by bringing together governments, green building councils, financial institutions, developers,... Show More + and homeowners. We have made great progress laying the groundwork for success in South Africa and hope to quickly replicate our strategy in other major markets,” Kapoor said. Encouraging efficiency through certificationThe Green Business Council of South Africa and IFC recently launched an EDGE certification program in South Africa, focused on the residential property sector, and certification is being rolled out in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.The voluntary certification is a way for builders to demonstrate the benefits of green efficiencies to residents, owners, and investors. Buildings that use 20 percent less energy, water, and embodied energy in building materials than their peers – as demonstrated by the EDGE tool – achieve the EDGE performance standard and are eligible for certification.To help builders reduce energy toward meeting the performance standard, EDGE shows the differences in choosing efficient HVAC systems, lower-energy lighting, solar solutions, or even the use of fans in all rooms. Water consumption can be reduced by choosing to install low-flow showerheads or faucets as well as dual flush systems for water closets. The tool takes into account the climate of the city where the building is being designed. Once a user identifies the city and country, temperatures are populated into the system, as are local costs.As the user chooses the different materials and options to design the building, EDGE gives a running tally of estimated monthly energy use, the amount of greenhouse gas that is saved as well as utility costs, and how long it will take to pay back the green investments in the building.Changing how people think about constructionThe EDGE green building program is trying to change the way people think about and value green buildings – as practical and necessary, not as luxuries – and to encourage their construction in rapidly urbanizing economies. The goal is to make the benefits clearer for builders, bankers, and buyers.The International Energy Agency estimates buildings account for one-third of final energy consumption globally and energy demand could rise by 50 percent by 2050, if no action is taken to improve efficiencies in buildings. According to the IEA, the deployment of energy-efficient technologies that are already commercially available could result in global savings equivalent to the current energy use of Russia and India combined. Show Less -

The World Bank Group has developed a first-of-its kind web app that lays out the full spectrum of our engagement in India in an easy-to-use manner. Everyone can now see what we do, why we do it,... Show More + and the results of our work in the country.The interactive app – OpenIndia – breathes life into India’s Country Partnership Strategy. It connects the dots between our projects and knowledge activities through a logical results framework that clearly links to the challenges our program is addressing.It is perhaps fitting that our India office is the first among the larger development community to take this bold new step forward for it is the sheer size of India’s population that will determine whether the world achieves its goals for reducing poverty or not.The app allows you to see how the whole institution (IDA, IBRD, and IFC) comes together across sectors and states to help India move forward on its enormous development agenda, and meet the World Bank Group’s overall goals. Want to know whether we are making progress in implementing our strategy and where we are falling short? Track it along our strategy’s three broad engagement areas - economic integration, spatial transformation, and social inclusion.Check how our projects are contributing to improving access to education, health, electricity, or in developing rural livelihoods. In fact, you can track progress across 19 outcomes and 33 project level indicators.What’s more, you can put this information together in new and dynamic ways. Under education, for example, you can learn about gender parity in India’s schools, or how many students are enrolled in secondary education, and against what target.Project details are also on hand. Find out what a project aims to do, who is implementing it, and how much money has been disbursed so far. And, discover what key studies have been published or are underway and which companies are benefiting from IFC’s advisory service. You can also take a comprehensive look at our engagement in 14 low-income and special category states in which we work. Check whether our program is shifting to these states as planned, which projects are operating in which state, and which key development challenges are being addressed.Since the app is linked with the World Bank Group’s Open Data site, it includes an accompanying database for over 100 indicators at the subnational level—all from official sources. And this is not all. The team continues to work on developing version 2.0 to allow two-way communication, possibly enabling beneficiaries to upload feedback from project sites. But for now, this innovative tool of transparency remains a work in progress. We therefore welcome suggestions for improvement. Do give us your feedback on #OpenIndia and check out the Q&A with Country Director, Onno Ruhl on Facebook. Show Less -

The first mobile financial service
deployments were launched in Bangladesh in mid-2011, and by
the end of 2013 they were being used by 22 percent of the
adult population... Show More + (intermedia 2014) - a fast start for a
large country of 160 million inhabitants. In 2013 registered
mobile financial services accounts in Bangladesh grew faster
than in any other country. The bKash board and management
are the first to say that there is a long way to go and much
still to do to build the business. It needs to stabilize its
technology platform to support a much higher volume of
transactions. Early fast scale has provided a platform for
bKash to take its next steps and has shown that it is
possible to create a deeper and more competitive market in Bangladesh. Show Less -

Ratings for the Mobile Phone Banking
Project for Maldives were as follows: outcomes were
unsatisfactory, risk to development outcome was high, Bank
performance was moderately... Show More + unsatisfactory, and Borrower
performance was unsatisfactory. Some lessons learned
included: this project has also demonstrated the need for
meaningful consultations with all stakeholders at all times.
Simply relying on the power and influence of the government
to force the participation of an unwilling participant did
not work in this case. On the other hand, continuous and
regular consultations at every step of the project, and
listening carefully to the needs of the participants, could
have been more effective in ensuring greater commitment and
ownership from the stakeholders. Shifting course during
project implementation, when a critical event that
significantly impacts project completion is triggered, is an
essential element of good project management. In this
project it seems that the project team never attempted to
change course during the six years of the project period.
Often there are different paths that can be taken to achieve
the same goal and this project might have had a more
successful end if the project had been restructured when it
was facing challenges. Another key lesson is the importance
of defining the project development objective and to link it
closely with a results framework (outcome and output
indicators) that allows accurate measurement of progress
towards achieving the project goal. Some project components
were not adequately linked to the PDO or the performance
indicators. As a result, it was difficult for the project
team to accurately assess project achievements and ratings
(even though these components were successfully implemented). Show Less -

With Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
transitioning towards the Right To Education (RTE), teacher
education institutions and systems need to be fully geared
up to meet the... Show More + demands of pre-service and in-service teacher
education and their ongoing professional development. Most
states do not have adequate systems to provide the necessary
cadres of trained elementary level school teachers. It is
thus important to enhance the roles and capacities of
teacher education institutions in India to support them to
become globally competitive, professionally managed, and
futuristically progressive to cater to the needs of huge
back logs of untrained teachers. This training is crucial to
ensure that children at the elementary levels get quality
education in accordance with the National Curriculum
Framework (NCF) 2005 and its basic tenets of child centered pedagogy. Show Less -

Within this context, there are
significant opportunities to harness Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) and Open and Distance
Learning (ODL) in teacher education,... Show More + especially to deliver
pre-service teacher education. Consequently, the Government
of Bihar requested the World Bank to provide support in
development of distance education curriculum, related
syllabi, content, effective delivery mechanisms, appropriate
student support systems, and assessment strategies to meet
the needs of its untrained teachers. Many other states and
countries are facing similar problems, and will need to
prepare comprehensive time-bound plans for untrained
teachers to acquire the prescribed qualifications (both
academic and professional). Thus, experiences in Bihar might
provide models for developing an ICT-based teacher education
system that can be used as a useful reference point by
others facing similar problems. This report outlines these
experiences and shares lessons learned through the process
to date. Show Less -

The Summit's presence was felt widely in the Pakistani digital community with its hashtag, #KPDYS14, trending as number one nationally on Twitter. Over 650,000 people were reached on, and more than 57,000... Show More + people listened to live streaming on online radio. Many young participants from outside Peshawar asked how they can organize DYS and similar events in their own cities, including many from Karachi and Lahore, traditionally seen as Pakistan’s technological hubs.The Summit, driven by a partnership between KPIT, the World Bank and local digital innovation and entrepreneurship group, Peshawar 2.0, has helped to kick start efforts to build a new ecosystem to boost jobs and innovation focusing on young people. "Youth in Pakistan need jobs that are easily accessible, creative, and are not bound by geographical location," said Ahsan Mukhtar, Google Business Group Manager in Islamabad. The digital economy can provide quick results to engage youth, which is key to development and stability.With the DYS, Peshawar took a step towards establishing a reputation for technological innovation. "All the speakers and attendees are well known and connected on social media. They are getting the word out to the public which can alter perceptions. I have a lot of friends who did not want to come to DYS but after seeing tweets and pictures, they have reconsidered," said Anusheh Ashraf, a presenter from Invest2Innovate. Show Less -

Update: The deadline has been extended to June 30th, apply now! Unemployment is one of the most acute problems facing youth in South Asia today. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 account... Show More + for one fifth of the region’s population but half of the region’s unemployed. Furthermore, job market pressure is intensifying, with 1-1.2 million young people entering the South Asian work force every month over the next two decades.Confident that the solutions to many of the challenges facing youth can come from within themselves, the World Bank and Microsoft launched a call for proposals for a South Asia Regional Grant Competition titled: “Coding Your Way to Opportunity” in Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.Coding Your Way to OpportunityThe regional grant competition invites youth-led initiatives and organizations to showcase fresh, innovative ideas that bridge the existing coding gap in South Asia between those who have access to the gaining skills they need to be successful and those who do not. Learning to code can propel job creation and development, and boost shared prosperity In South Asia and other regions, coding and computing have become essential and desirable job skills. Jointly implemented by the World Bank and Microsoft, the competition aims to enable youth to expand coding knowledge amongst their peers, in turn helping them secure gainful employment.The program will be organized in four South Asian countries – Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Each country will win one grant of at least US$10,000 to carry out an innovative project, one year in duration.Who can Apply?· Youth-led organizations and NGOs can submit project proposals for this grant competition.· The applying organization has to be registered with at least two years of operation.· All team members have to be above 18 years of age.Selection Criteria- The project proposed should expand coding knowledge in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.- The project should provide employment opportunities for at least 3 people and above.- A strong sustainability plan needs to be part of the initial project proposal.- The projects should be participatory.- Proposed project must be completed within 12 months of disbursement of the initial grant- The output or results outlined in proposals should be measurable and demonstrate a direct impact in project areas. Projects with the sole final output of research, such as publications, or conferences/forums with no directly verifiable results will be ineligible.- Innovation is one of the key criteria of selection. Out of the box initiatives, which can be practically implemented, will score.What Kind of Activities Are Not Supported?Research programs, formal academic training programs, operational projects, provision of basic services, ongoing institutional core support (such as equipment), scholarships, fellowships, study programs, individuals applying on their own behalf, or non-legal entities. Proposed activities should not compete with or substitute for regular World Bank instruments; the activity should be clearly distinguishable from the Bank’s regular programs.Under the categories above, examples of items and activities that are usually not eligible include the list below:· Direct service delivery;· Medical equipment, such as hospital equipment, hearing aids, crutches;· Computer equipment and installation;· Overhead costs, such as rent, maintenance, or general office supplies;· Meeting basic needs, such as provision of water, heat, meals;· Construction of facilities, such as libraries or sanitation facilities;· Food aid;· Full-time salaries of, for example, the director of the NGO;· Infrastructure projects, such as water systems, wells.Evaluation ProcessMicrosoft and the World Bank with the support of an external evaluation panel will shortlist innovative proposals. All shortlisted candidates will make presentations of their proposal at a regional workshop.The short listing of proposals will be based on:- Addressing the coding gap in the region- Youth focused training on coding- Innovativeness- Sustainability- Reliability- Efficiency (cost-benefit ratio)PartnersSarvodaya-Fusion is the implementing partner of this project. Fusion will support World Bank and Microsoft efforts in coordination with regional partners to reach rural youth led social enterprises.ApplicationsApplication for BangladeshApplication for the MaldivesApplication for NepalApplication for Sri Lanka Show Less -

The development objective of the Revenue
Mobilization Program for Results : Value Added Tax (VAT)
Improvement Program Project for Bangladesh is to improve
revenue mobilization... Show More + and transparency in the VAT
administration. The project has four components. The first
component, operational modernization of the VAT wing of
national board of revenue (NBR) aims to enable the NBR to
ensure a high level of voluntary compliance with the VAT
system. This component will cover core VAT functional areas:
(i) registration, return processing, tax payments, taxpayer
accounting, and tax refunds; (ii) tax audit; (iii)
collection and enforcement; (iv) tax appeal; and (v)
taxpayer services. The second component, introduction of an
integrated VAT management system will provide for
procurement and implementation of the integrated VAT
management system based on commercial off the shelf software
(COTS) and associated consulting services to support
modernized tax administration operations in the NBR. It
comprises of following six sub-components: (i) integrated
VAT management system; (ii) establishing a data center;
(iii) establishing a centralized processing center; (iv)
establishing a contact center; (v) establish a data network
to enable VAT staff to have access to the information
technology (IT) tax administration system through the
computer terminal; and (vi) desktop hardware and software
and local and data center servers. The third component,
institutional strengthening and capacity building consists
of VAT wing reorganization along function lines and staff
training to enable staff to utilize the new integrated VAT
system and business processes. The fourth component, program
management consists of two parts. Part one addresses the
challenge of properly managing the implementation of the
program and supports expert advice on program management,
IT, procurement, financial management, and disbursement.
Part two supports a change management and a comprehensive
taxpayer communication and education program to build
internal and external support for the reform. Show Less -

The development objective of the Revenue
Mobilization Program for Results : VAT Improvement Program
(VIP) Project for Bangladesh is to improve transparency and
service... Show More + delivery, sustained through increased resource
mobilization. Negative impacts and mitigation measures
include: (1) the program will finance the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) equipment like server,
computer, and local area network (LAN). The Environmental
and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) envisaged the issue of
the proper disposal of the expired ICT equipment; (2)
National Board of Revenue (NBR) has developed a human
resource development strategy which includes effective
communication and change management strategy. For the
consumer's different education and communication tools
are prepared to inform taxpayers about the operational
procedures under the new value added tax (VAT) regime; and
(3) the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) will generate its
legal instrument and procedure for disposal of e-waste. Show Less -

BeneficiariesStella Kariuki, who participated in infoDev’s Mobile Startup Camp, founded Zege Technologies in 2010 to offer small and medium enterprises (SMEs) pay-bill numbers and mobile money point of... Show More + sales solutions to help make transactions paperless. Zege Technologies focuses on building financial solutions software for mobile, web, and point of sale integration. Its core product is MPAYER, which is a cloud-based payment service that helps local businesses, organizations and shoppers accept and manage real-time cash or mobile money payments, while collecting customer feedback. Thus far Zege Technologies has worked with 100 companies and served about 3,000 clients at the Base of the Pyramid. Stella has plans to expand the Kenyan customer base, promote regional expansion, and positively impact businesses in Kenya and within the region.Peter Chege initially worked as an analytical chemist at a pharmaceutical company in Kenya, but in 2002 he decided to venture out on his own and produce animal feed. Frustrated by the low quality of raw grain he was receiving from his suppliers, Peter began to utilize hydroponic technology as a more efficient and reliable way of growing the cereals used in his animal feed. Hydroponics grows crops without soil, by using the mineral nutrient solutions in water. Although hydroponics relies primarily on water, a scarce resource in the region, studies have indicated that the system is at least 10 times more efficient in water usage in comparison to field farming. Only starting to install hydroponics systems in 2012, Peter has already built more than 60 sheds in Kenya and a few in Uganda, with plans to expand into Rwanda. With the assistance of the Kenya CIC he has grown and diversified his business offerings while expanding access to his hydroponic systems for interested farmers.Randa Filfili, who owns and manages Zena Exotic Fruits, is the first Senegalese jam producer to export “niche” products, such as cashew apple butter and baobab jam, to markets in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Initially producing a range of quality fruit spreads for the local market, Randa became aware of an opportunity to expand Zena’s offering when she learned that local rural farmers produced cashews for export, but did nothing with the fruit these trees produced. The company seized the opportunity and worked with a team of food technologists, marketers, and chefs to develop a value-added product with a commodity that was viewed as having no commercial value. With a new model and a unique product, Zena is now able to export its all-natural cashew apple butter to satisfied consumers around the world. Show Less -